A portion of Ohio 51 will be renamed in honor of William Hetrick, a Clay Township police officer who was killed in the line of duty in July 2000. / Sheri Trusty/News Herald correspondent

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Sheri Trusty

News Herald correspondent

CLAY TOWNSHIP — In July 2000, Clay Township police officer William J. Hetrick was killed in an automobile wreck while on duty.

Nearly 14 years later, Hetrick will be honored when a portion of Ohio 51 is named the William J. Hetrick Memorial Highway.

The William J. Hetrick Memorial Highway will be located on Ohio 51 from the intersection of Witty Road to the intersection of Ohio 795.

Bestowing the honor has been a long process.

It began about 11 years ago when Hetrick’s wife, Tonya Hetrick, wrote a letter to Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo. The letter was forwarded to the local police department, but nothing came of it at that time.

When Terry Mitchell was promoted to police chief, he made the honor a priority. He was a sergeant at the time of Hetrick’s death and had worked with him on the evening that he died.

“He had just finishing answering a call and was heading southbound on 51,” Mitchell said. “There was a lot of fog and limited vision.”

A tractor-trailer pulled out from a side street, striking Hetrick’s patrol car. Hetrick died at the scene.

“The tractor-trailer couldn’t see him, and he couldn’t see the tractor-trailer,” Mitchell said.

Hetrick’s death was a huge loss for the police force.

“He was a great officer,” Mitchell said. “His attention to detail was impeccable.

“He was always happy to come to work. He always loved his job.”

Mitchell’s respect for Hetrick wasn’t the only factor that spurred him to seek the road renaming. His biggest motivation was a desire to create a positive memory about Hetrick for his children.

“He was an officer killed in the line of duty, and he left three children behind,” Mitchell said. “I did this for his family, for his kids. They were small and have few recollections of him.”

Tonya said her son, Tyler, was 6 years old and daughters Aleise and Aubrie were 4 years old and 6 months old when their father died.

Her two older children have limited memories of their father, and Aubrie has none.

“All she knows is what she’s heard,” Tonya said.

When the road is renamed, the Hetrick children will have something tangible and present that can tie them to their father.

“This is such a tribute; I’m so happy for the kids,” Tonya said. “Even though they don’t have many memories, they’ll have this — something they can take their kids to see one day.”

Tonya, who never remarried, now lives with her children in North Carolina. The distance between her and Mitchell hasn’t lessened the friendship that deepened after Hetrick’s death. He supported her family in the aftermath of the tragedy and that support continued after her move out of state.

“Terry is the closest thing we have to family in Ohio. He and his fiancée have been wonderful to us,” Tonya said.

“He sends the kids gifts at Christmas, and if we need anything, he’s there.”

Mitchell received help honoring Hetrick from State Sen. Randy Gardner and State Rep. Chris Redfern, who sponsored legislation naming the portion of Ohio 51 after Hetrick.

The legislation was part of an amendment to House Bill 19 that was passed by the Senate earlier this month and was signed into law by Gov. John Kasich on Tuesday.

Both legislators were happy to assist Mitchell with the project.

“Periodically, the General Assembly recognizes firefighters, police officers and members of the military killed in the line of duty,” Gardner said. “This is a way to recognize their significant sacrifice.”

For Tonya, it’s a way to tie her children closer to their father.

“It will affect them the rest of their life,” she said. “When they get married and when they have their first kid, it will bring that all back.

“This means the world to us, and it never would have happened without Terry.”